I start my modern car (2023) that's been sitting for about ten days. The very first thing it does is demand a software update, which fails because the battery is "too low". After driving it to charge, it finally starts the update (locking me out of the car for 30 minutes, completely unusable). Once it's done, the dashboard becomes "more modern" - which basically means it's worse and cluttered with useless information.

Then, I start the old car (2007) that's been parked for MONTHS. It spits out some smelly exhaust, makes a weird noise for a few seconds, and goes: "Let's go, I need to stretch my 'legs'."

I take it to the car wash. A guy there with a brand-new Chinese car takes a look and asks me about it. I tell him it's from 2007.
He peers inside the cabin and asks about the "infotainment" setup, since he "can't see the screen".
I calmly explain that it has a CD player, it even reads MP3s, and it has an Aux-in: I just plug my phone in with a cable and that's it.

He looked at me like I was an alien. Or an ancient Roman. How on earth do I survive without a screen always available, and having to actually plug in a physical cable every time? Crazy!

#cars #tech #ux #enshittification #software

@stefano My 2024 Mitsubishi Mirage (the final year for the model) came with a large display for the infotainment system and backup camera.

Problem was the stereo would power on whenever I started the car. I checked with the dealer and the unit manufacturer (Alpine), learning that this auto-on "feature" couldn't be disabled. I wasn't about to settle for a stereo with a mind of its own.

So I replaced it with a conventional in-dash stereo (and upgraded the cheap speakers). I'm much happier now!